St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-09-27
The President Appears Before,
the Chamber Of Commerce >
and Talks.
He Says the City Is Well
Served Under All the
Circumstances.
A Committee to Confer as to
the City's Needs---Inter-
esting Talk.

1870
cable car service in st. Paul. Mr..
Lowry, president of the street car line,
who was present. was Invited to make
statement to the chamber and did SO.
He said that he had received an invita-
ton from the secretary of the chamber
inviting him to meet the chamber and
discuss the street car service of Paul,
and that he was pleased to do so. He
then read extracts enough from the re-
port of the committee, made to the
chamber and heretofore published, to
furnish some indication of he matter
complained of. He had hoped, he said.
that the committee would have some
suggestions to make, and was sorry it
had not. The report stated that st.
Paul had larger population than Min
neapoliS, but he did net propose to dis
cuSS that matter, and proceeded to argue
that st. Paul had as good car service as
any other city. When he received the
invitation he telegraphed to Kansas
City in regard to the street car service
there, and received reply from Cliff
Wise, engineer of fine cable road, saying
Kansas City had forty miles OF single
track cable and fifteen miles of horse
car tracks, making in all fifty-fve
miles. He also had dispatch
from j. B. Lawrence, editor of the
Kansas City Journal, in which he states
that city has thirty-siX miles of con-
structed cable road, seven miles of ele-
waited road, two miles of electric road
and twelve miles of horse cars, making
total of fifty-seven miles. AT the con-
cluSion of this reading Mr.. Lowry said:
1 make the broad assertion that st. Paul is
BETTER ACCoMMoDATED
in street ear service than anV other CITY In
the country of equal size" 1t was the inten-
ton of the company to build number of
extensions and a line on Dakota avenue, but
the delays in the city improvements would
prevent this for the present. He claimed
that whenever any chamber desired to learn
the number of miles Of track in any city it
woud seva aage ses t TSs sa ana
track each would make a report
and include the leased track which
would show more trackage than there really
was. The total number of miles of track
owned and operated by the st. Paul City
Railway company, up to the first of the pres
ent year, was about twenty -eight. 70 this
has been added during 1the present year
nearly 5000 feet of double on the extension
of the Lafayette line, known as the Payne
avenue extension; Oakland avenue,
1875 feet of double track from the
intersection of Seventh and Robert across
the new bridge, and on Concord street to
Cambridge, S,625 feet of double track; on
Rice street about 5000 feet double track;
Maria avenue 5000 feet of single track,
ready constructed to be added to the twenty
eight miles above referred to-. In addition
to this the company will construct
this fall nearly one mile of dou-
two and one-half of cable double track. This
will give the company forty-fve miles of
track at the close of the present season. 1t
was the int. ntion to build another line in
nh w -.
fred street to Ohio street, which would have
added in the neighborhood OF three miles of
single track.
CONTRACTS FOR SEWERS
and paving have been let and we are now
waiting their completion before constructing
this line. This would give St. Paul total
trackage of about forty-eight miles. In the
report to the chamber of commerce as to the
given the trackage of all companies COM
bined. In eases where the city
is supplied with street cars by different
companies, each company uses the tracks of
the other, generally, under arrangements re-
quiring such use in the charter of each COM
pany; as a consequence the same track is
therefore, measured as many times. Sup
posing that such street railroad line in ST.
Paul was operated by separate companies
what would be the result? West Seventh
street and Lafayette avenue line of double
track would report round trip of 10 miles,
meaning 10 miles of single track; the East
".
HILL SIP miles; University avenue and Misis-
sippi street, S12 miles; Rice street and
West st. Paul, 8 miles; Maria ave-
nue., 6 miles t cable, 5 miles, making
by the various companies Sc, to which will
be added round trip of Rondo street and
Winnifred, 9 miles additional, making 65
miles of street railway operated in ST. Paul.
The total number of cars owned by the COM
pany is 81. Regular cars operated 67, dis
tributed as follows: West Seventh street
line Is cars, running every minutes; East
Seventh street line IL cars, running every 6
minutes; st. Anthony Hill line Is cars, run
ming every 3 minutes; University avenue
line ii cars, running every minutes; Rice
street line ID cars, running every minuteS
besides the extra ears operated on the addi-
new cars ordered and now being COM
pleted and delivered daily, part of
them having arrived including si cable bic
company, total of 14O cars, to which the
company propose to add ten additional cable
cars, making in all $50. =.
In speaking of the non-completion of the
cable line, Mr. Lowry defended his action on
the ground that the material could not be
obtained in time, and claimed that with the
amount OF material now on hand and thirty
days more of good weather the line would be
in running order He did not claim that the
st. Paul system was perfect but it was as
good as he could make it under the circum-
stances. He would be very glad indeed to
listen to any suggestion that anyone had to
make. Mr.. Lowry proceeded to make some
statements-that he hoped would be taken
kindly-that were rather more important
than anything he had said: He
stated that, the courts had decided
already that the present company had the
legal right to go upon any street in St. Paul
except Third That street was the only one
exempted. Now there are streets III St. Paul
that street car tracks ought not to be located
on, such as Sixth street and Dayton and Sum-
NIT avenues. He would like to have Gen.
Bishop and committee of business men
take the matter up and give tia fair examina-
ton. The city. of st. Paul has now, say
10000. In few years it will have popu-
lation of 100000. The stock has not thus
far been profitable as an investment The
road might get into the hands of those who
are not friendly to the city of St. Paul: tits
now in the hands of those who are friendly
to the city. He would like to have o
A COMMITTEE APPOINTED
and see what changes are needed in the char
ter, and what concessions the road and the
city can mutually make.
When Mr.. Lowry closed Mr.. Murray
said he would like to have the matter
referred to committee and he wanted
Mr.. Lowry on the committee. There
are certain outlying districts sadly In
need of street car Service. He Thought
this company should in some way make
provision in that direction. IF Mr..
Lowry would say what he would do in
regard to that matter he thought it
would remove much feeling against the
management.
Mr.. Lowry will look over the mat
ter and see what can be done. We are
opposed to laying our tracks out into
the suburbs on streets where the water,
gas and sewer work has not been done,
and then compelled to take them up
again. l think any demand of this
kind is unreasonable.
MI. Stevens moved that the whole
matter be referred to the committee on
transportation, of the chamber, the city
engineer, the corporation attorney and